I hope you enjoyed this Brian Blade and the whole Joshua Redman Quartet reaction! Digital Download Store (30% off of EVERYTHING until January 1st) qsdigitaldownloads.sellfy.store/
Thank you, Quincy, for counting this one out for us non-scholars of next-level jazz. Simply following the quarter note here is challenging. Brian Blade is so elastic and unpredictable in his playing, but you're exactly right, he is always musical and never steps on the other players. How he balances those two is what makes him probably my favorite living jazz drummer. Also, the way he moves his _entire body_ while playing is a technique unto itself.
Another cool thing about Blade's triplets (Elvin triplets) is his bass drum is played at a slightly stronger dynamic than his hands in completing the triplet. In addition to the open tuning, as you say. It makes it feel like the bass drum leads the triplet regardless of whether it actually does or not. Cool approach to a fairly standard figure.
These are Sonor Teardrop drums from the 60s. You see quite a few of them in Germany but they're incredibly rare in bop sizes. For some people they're even more sought after than Gretsch Round Badges. I think this kit probably belongs to the venue in Munich.
Brian Blade embodies musicality. I mainly play bass and keys and have very limited music theory knowledge. With that being said, I am addicted to any music featuring Brian Blade on Drums and Brian Blade and the Fellowship band. He really makes the drums sing. Irrespective of the instrument you play, you could benefit from listening to A LOT OF Brian.
Blade is truly amazing. He's so great at drawing you in with those quiet but brilliant rolls, and then surprising you with a big smash! That's one of the things I love most about his playing--unpredictability!
Another fantastic video, thank you always and always a pleasure to have the didactic material that you provide us. These guys are real off the charts. Merry Christmas to all and much encouragement for whatever you want to undertake. Peace Love and Music.🎼🥁🎵 Forever grateful to Mr Davis.
These are great Q. One thing I'd like to have your reaction to though would be one of these stellar cats playing a hard swinging medium tempo. We all love the breakneck stuff but there are some very important lessons to be learned listening to all these guys manipulate time and weave various velocities (swung 8ths, triplets, 16ths and 16th triplets) and making it all swing hard.
Brian is the man, a Tony of our time. I was once involved, on the tech side, of a recording that he did with John P. I recall how badly I wanted *not* to go behind the glass while the light was on, just because it was so good to be there in the room, hearing and feeling the actual wood sound of his kit.
Just saw Brian play with Joshua redman, christian mc bride and Brad Mehldau reunionband in Amsterdam...what a band what a band! little more grey hair but still as much on fire! And are those Sonor drums?
I wanted to get a hold of Que but since i can't i will tell my little blib here. I found a long time ago that if you took a book like Louie Belson book or Syncopation or really whatever is written in eighth notes quarters etc. you can play triplets and the notes you see notated on the page you could play as accents. probably not clear but its pretty easy to do. Such as if you have a bar of eighth notes each eighth note would be like 1 Le, 2 Le, 3 Le 4 le. But all of the triplets are played such as 1 la le, 2 la le, 3 la le, 4 la le, so all the rests etc. are ghosted triplets and all the notated notes are accented. It's super fun to read stuff this way. You can do it with standards or anything your working on. Also, like Que says you can sing while you do this stuff. So like you can take Sentimental Journey or whatever standard and sing it while you read the page down while doing these Triplets and accents on all the noated notes. An idea worth Sharing. It's also a great way to come up with melodic solos for reading a chart down. You read the melody and then on the first chorus you get play the tune this way voicing wherever on your kit that sounds good. Super fun, and make your slot more solid. A zillion things you can do with this little exercise, it can also be done with sixteenths or whatever it is your reading. Enjoy!! BTW, i know this not related to this content but hopefully somebody can get something out of it.
Great analysis Q, I've watched this video and the others from this concert a zillion times. So good! I used to see Brain playing at Smalls back when he had a regular Fellowship gig on Tues, I believe it was and then on Weds with Sam Yahel a lot. Man, I miss those times!
Damn, I stumbled upon your channel and I love getting hyped with you about these solos and the drummers reading the energy. Makes me see things from another perspective
I first heard about Brian Blade from the very first jazz album I ever bought, back in the late 90's....A Bob James Trio album. I think it was the "Straight Up" album. I don't remember it being crazy energetic as far as tempos or anything, but I knew great musicianship even back then. I kept following the name Brian Blade just because I thought having the last name Blade was so cool. THEN, in college I found out who Joshua Redman was, and heard Blade playing with him. I learned more about jazz and jazz drumming and realized this dude is one of the GOATs. Great video showcasing a drummer who I don't think is talked about enough!
Indication of the Form part is very much appreciated (as is the new reaction format as a whole, with all the insights and analysis). Mr. Davis, not only your videos are very helpful thanks to your intelligence, experience, skill and passion, but also you are just joy to watch and listen to! Thank you so much
Hi Q., I love the way you put the sections of the form on the screen to follow along. Very helpful, especially for a busy high velocity tune like this. Also, I love the way to stop and demonstrate what the drummer is doing. Good stuff!
you probably already know,Brian Blade plays sonor drums,me too .This kit,judging by the hardware appears to be a 60's early70's tear drop kit.Thank you for your excellent videos,love your playing,be well
Hey Q, loved hearing you play along to Brian's licks there. I wondered, do you ever get it where you're almost afraid to hit the snare, particularly in small venues, and you can't get your chops off? Is that just a mental thing? Or acoustics/ sensitive ears? Or lack of warming up? Or poor balance/ posture? Thks
I think with experience and good hands, playing in small venues becomes less of a factor because you begin to understand how to control the sound of the drums more. And in fact, smaller venues are actually more fun to play in because you don’t have to play as hard for your ideas to be felt and heard. Make sure to practice your rudiments on a snare drum at really quiet dynamics with your feet. I think that will help.
Blades' weight loss program; wear a V-neck jumper and a suit jacket! Is he wearing a vest? Yes, Elvin through and through. To translate for USA, thru and thru.
Thanks for this!!!!! I really appreciate your channel......Those are beautiful vintage sonor drums with the teardrop lugs........they sound so fantastic
Love it! His left hand looks to me as very stiff and awkward but looks are deceiving. How is is he playing so fluidly and yet look so awkward - lots of fingers? (Earlier drum "greats" are also drum like this). Thanks for posting and showing us Blades' stuff!
Another great video, thanks! I looked at Joshua Redman's studio album "Wish" and the musicians are different. Are there other recordings which have this particular quartet either studio or live? They were on fire!
I am not a drummer but I love your reaction videos! I remember seeing this band so many years ago in Monterey (seems like yesterday 😀). Merry Christmas to you and yours Brother and cheers to a great New Year! 🥂🎄
Love your videos you step up the game with the humor lol I've been MIA been sick and family drama hope to get back on it yea man love Brian for so many reasons thks for posting
*Loving* these reaction videos, Prof. Q! I can watch any of these myself and get something out of them, but, watching with you, through your experiences, eyes, it’s a gift. Someone else mentioned that you comment on the whole performance and not just the drums. That’s a big plus, because the musicians are not playing separately, they are making something together! Please keep it up. My only request (and maybe I missed this) but could you name the group, the musicians, the songs, and the venue/performance? For example, I’m well-versed enough in jazz to know of all four of these guys, but I don’t know what they look like. So to intro everyone would help us be more familiar with these greats. “Josh”… I’m thinking “well , a Josh who plays sax… Redman, I presume? This is as close to a music school jazz course as many of us will have the opportunity for, I’m greedy and want whatever you can give us! Keep up the good work!
Great video man, this group is just something else. Was wondering if you could incorporate some Bobby Durham love into the mix? Check out the first tune (The Lamp is Low) from the video "Oscar Peterson Trio - MJF PRAHA 1969". He's definitely in my top 5 favorite drummers, he just does things that are so precise and that no one else does. He isn't talked about too much either I feel.
I love this series you are doing, Q! Not just great education and explanations, but presenting drummers that many people are only vaguely, if not at all familiar with. Merry Christmas!
Only kit I've seen with that Yellow Flame wrap is a Gretsch Catalina Club kit, but that is NOT a Gretsch kit, near as I can tell. It almost looks like Yamaha badges, wondering if it could have been a Custom wrap on a YRC kit?
I went to New Orleans for my birthday back in March. Went record shopping at Euclid records and bumped in to Brian. Had to give that man his roses! Dude's playing is a frikkin spiritual experience!
Hey Quincy, Ned from Spain stopping by for steaming hot cup Brian Blade and Company. First of all as someone else has pointed out the set is for sure a 1960s Sonor teardrop lug kit. I had a larger Sonor kit from then and it sounded great but weighed a ton. About 20 years ago I got to meet Brian when he would buy guitars from my brother in NY. Possibly one of the most positive, enthusiastic, open and kind human beings I ever met. We talked a lot about people he was playing with but also drums, music, sound and the drummers he loved listening to. Always a pleasure to see him whether he was visiting or on stage playing. Thanks Quincy.
Great vid. I liked Redman later on, around the time he was playing with Aaron Goldberg and Hutchinson. I saw that group play at Bowdoin and it was unreal. Seemingly very different vocabulary than with this group. What I hear in this video is a little too playful and not as deep as later, but then again, he was about twenty-nothing here(?). Blade - I liked his earlier playing, honestly...with Kenny Garrett and Mark Turner...some others. Never could figure out how he holds the left hand that high with the stick that far back in this grip.
I saw this same exact band. Same drums and cymbals. A lot of the same tunes. It was life changing. If you can imagine Tony Williams with Miles/Elvin with Coltrane...that is was Brian sounded and felt like. Goosebumps the whole gig...old ks/beech Sonors tunes up high..very spiritual/dark yet full of joy. They were not messing around
@@drumqtipsAnd there it sat, in my old Real Book, the whole time. Thanks Q! As a non-drummer, I can definitely confirm that losing the form is really easy sometimes - and the stuff of nightmares.
Great vid -- thanks! [I saw Brian earlier this year with Wolfgang Muthspiel and Scott Colley -- amazing gig! Regardless of the "mood" of the tune, Brian plays with sheer joy, which is infectious! Love him!!]
I saw Brian with Joe Sample. A trio concert (caravan of dreams in Fort Worth, TX). I was about 10 feet from Joe and Brian and the bassist. PHENOMENAL SHOW! I had no idea who Brian was until that concert. He KILLED IT!
Hey Q, I'd like to see you do a reaction vid on Herbie Hancock's "one finger snap" Different form and hard to follow during the solos. Thank you for all you do.
Eddie here. Thanks for helping me become a better drummer. My struggle now is the Herta Thanks so much for your instructional videos. They’ve helped me a lot.
For those who would like to ear how sophisticated his playing has become run listening to the album Between two worlds he recorded with Romain Pilon and Jeff Denson 2019. Cheers!
Wow. Like Coltrane and Elvin! (almost lol). Say it! Nice clip Q thank you! Remember talking to Pete LaRoca Sims in I think it was late 80's or early or mid 90's after he'd been off the scene for a long time and asking him who was getting his attention currently and he said immediately that guy Brian Blade doing some interesting stuff.
Nearly most of my teachers were uninterested in teaching me because i started late and was slow too. I'm so glad that there's stuff like this on RU-vid so when I can say "Damn i wish i had this x thing" it potentially right here. Never give up!
